Tag Archives: An Experiment in Criticism

George Watson’s Provocative Comments on C.S. Lewis as Literary Critic

Posted on February 22, 2017 by Brenton Dickieson

One of the advantages of finding new libraries is that the librarian’s skill of book-buying is more art than science. The librarians I know, despite their adept use of analytics, have as much curator or architect in them as they … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged An Experiment in Criticism, C.S. Lewis, Douglas Adams, English Literature in the Sixteenth Century, F.R. Leavis, g k chesterton, George Watson, Inklings, Jacques Derrida, Joy Davidman, librarians, literary criticism, myth, Narnia, Postmodernism, Reader Response Criticism, Reading, Roland Barthes, Samuel Johnson, Sherlock Holmes, Socratic Club, Studies in Words, The Allegory of Love, The Discarded Image, The Personal Heresy, Till We Have Faces, William Empson | 28 Comments

Spiritual Dynamics in The OA

Posted on February 16, 2017 by Brenton Dickieson

One of the hottest new shows on Netflix is The OA. A genre-bending serial of 8 rough-hewn episodes, it has the transdimensional framework and Scoobie gang dynamics of Stranger Things, but a much more adult narrative. While Stranger Things uses … Continue reading →

Posted in Fictional Worlds, Reviews | Tagged An Experiment in Criticism, apologetics, Brit Marling, Buddhism, cruciformity, Doctor Strange, Empire Records, fantasy, Fictional Universes, Netflix, Paschal Mystery, pop culture, Reality Bites, self-death, Story Within a Story, Stranger Things, surrender, The OA | Leave a comment

2016: A Year of Reading

Posted on December 29, 2016 by Brenton Dickieson

This time last year I had a sense of the kind of season that 2016 would be, but I did not know the how deeply the experiences of bereavement, family responsibility, and overwork would impact me. While my work has … Continue reading →

Posted in News & Links | Tagged academic, An Experiment in Criticism, C.S. Lewis, feminism, George MacDonald, Inklings, J.R.R. Tolkien, On Fairy-Stories, PhD Research, Ransom Trilogy, Reading, The Quest of Bleheris, William Morris | 15 Comments

2016: My Year in Books: The Infographic

Posted on December 27, 2016 by Brenton Dickieson

The house elves at Goodreads have produced a little infographic to capture my year in book reading. I love data, and I love when clever people create clever algorithms to capture trends in visual form. I’ll post my full, super … Continue reading →

Posted in News & Links | Tagged An Experiment in Criticism, C.S. Lewis, George MacDonald, Inklings, Reading, The Quest of Bleheris, William Morris | 12 Comments

Lewis, Wagner, and Frankenstein: Literary Accident or Reader’s Providence?

Posted on August 31, 2016 by Brenton Dickieson

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what I call “Pilgrim’s Providence.” This is when we as travelers embrace the challenges and opportunities that come along our pathway as a kind of opportunity provided for us. It is a perspective … Continue reading →